European Blues Challenge – Update 05/11/14
Between issues there has been much hoo ha about the European Blues Union and the annual Blues Challenge to which we have submitted UK artists for four successive years at the EBU’s request and with their blessing. We do not have the time to bore you with the totalitarian attitude that has seemingly prevailed with certain parties of the EBU but we stood our ground as best we could and pointed out to all the board members their own rules and regulations that had been broken and ignored and highlighted many irregularities to seek to ensure that RED BUTLER would represent the UK at the 2015 Challenge as the winners of the Best Newcomer section of our annual BM Writers’ Poll.
However it turned out that the single voice for clarity and honesty was overturned in what we can only call a disgraceful and disrespectful way so that those certain parties could have their own way (yes, bluntly we got shafted!). So, what we have is Classic Rock does Blues holding a ‘play-off’ between their top three nominated acts chose by an insecure and ‘unacceptable’ (the EBU’s own words) online voting process for a selection of ten acts – Henry’s Funeral Shoe, Kaz Hawkins and Laurence Jones plus our nominee Red Butler.
Our winner was chosen by a panel of experienced writers drawn from across the blues world in a completely secure, closed voting method which avoided any possibility of manipulation.
Our biggest regret here is for the artists that have been involved in something that was dealt with in a totally unacceptable way, late in the day and behind many backs including those of some of the EBUs own board members.
If you want to learn more, please see our web site, frankly we had enough of these dealings.
